Spring tongue-support.



No. 730,588, A PATENTED"JUNE9,1903.-"

J. P. BARNES- SPRING TONGUE SUPPORT.

APPLIGATION FILED MAE. 2. 1903L NO MODEL.

v UNITED STATES" Patented June 9, 1903.

JAMESP. BARNES, OF LYTAL, MISSISSIPPI.

SP-R ING TONGUE-SUPPORT.

SPEGIFIGATION'forniingpart of Letters Patent No. 730,598, dated June 9, 1903. Application filed March 2, 1903. Serial No. 145,748. (life model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES P. BARNES, a citizen of the United States, residing at Lytal, in the county of Prentiss and State of Mississippi, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Spring Tongue-Supports; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to improvements in tongue-supports for vehicles, and particularly to a spring tongue-support which is adj ustable to allow the tongue to have a yielding action in a vertical plane and to hold the same supported at a desired angle.

The object of the invention is to providea support of this character which is simple of construction, comparatively inexpensive of production, and can be conveniently adjusted to support a tongue in the desired position.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a "perspective view of a portion of the running-gear of a vehicle embodying my invention, and Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section of the same.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, the numeral 1 represents a portion of the running-gear of a vehicle, of which 2 is the front bolster and 3 the tongue, the latter being mounted, as usual, to swing verti cally on the pivot-bolt 4.

5 is a doubletree pivotally mounted on the bolt 6, which passes down through the tongue.

Secured to the bolster are one or more springs 7, to which is connected one end of a rod 8, the forward or free end of which is provided with a tongue or hook 9. The said forward end of the rod 8 passes through an eye 10 on the rear end of aspring-metal strip 11, which strip is secured at its forward end by a fastening 12 to the tongue and is also confined by the bolt 6, which pivots the dou bletree 5. The rear portion of the springmetal strip or plate is free to have movement in a vertical plane and is supported immediately inrear of the pivot-bolt 6 by a brace 13,

secured at its forward end by said bolt and p at its rear end to the tongue by a fastening 14. The rear or free end of the spring-plate is formed with a series of openings 15, with either one of which the hooked end of the rod is adapted to engage, by which construction it will be seen that the tongue may be adjusted to any desired position and the hooked end of the rod engaged with one of said openings to secure it in such position and that when so held the tongue will be sustained by the spring 7, which will allow it to have the requisite yielding action.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, the construction, mode of operation, and advantages of my invention will be readily apparent, it is thought, without requiring a more extended explanation Various changes in the form, proportion, and the minor details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the principle or scrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

Having thus described myinvention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by-Letters Patent, is-

1. In a spring tongue-support, the combination with a bolster and pivoted tongue, of a spring connected to the bolster, a lockingplate disposed upon the top of the tongue and provided with a guide-eye and a series of openings, and a rod attached at one end to the spring and slidable at its opposite end in said eye and provided with a hooked terminal to engage any one of the aforesaid openings, substantially as described,

2; In a spring tongue-support, the combination with a bolster and a pivoted tongue, of a doubletree, a brace secured to the tongue in rear of the doubletree and resting upon said doubletree, a locking-plate secured to securing the same together, aspringeonnect- In testimony whereof I have hereunto set ed to the bolster, and a rod attached at one my hand in presence of two subscribing witend to the spring and slidable in said guidenesses.

eye and provided at its opposite end with a JAMES P. BARNES. 5 hooked terminal to engage any one of the Vitnesses:

aforesaid openings in the locking-plate, sub- T. P. MOCULLAR,

stantially as described. I R. T. BARRETT. 

